Infinite Loop —

Rumored iPhone OS multitasking would use Exposé-like feature

Not only is iPhone multitasking supposedly coming in iPhone OS 4. candy.

Details continue to emerge over supposed multitasking support in an upcoming major release of the iPhone OS. According to AppleInsider, sources “familiar with the situation” have allegedly confirmed that the change is coming in iPhone OS 4.0, allowing users to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily switch between them. The addition of multitasking support would put the iPhone even closer to feature parity with phones using Palm's webOS and Google's Android.

It has long been known that the iPhone OS has the capability of running multiple processes simultaneously, but Apple hasn’t yet allowed third-party developers to access the functionality. In the past, Apple has cited potentially poor battery life, memory errors, and the possibility of malware as reasons not to allow third parties to run software in the background. However, if the latest rumors are true, Apple seems to have changed its tune.

The mechanism for switching between apps will be somewhat of a lovechild between Mac OS X's Exposé and application switching features. According to the description, the switcher wouldn't deal with application windows like Exposé, but instead application icons. Icons will apparently respond similarly to the Exposé experience, fanning out in a grid that would allow a user to easily switch between running apps.

With Apple's current philosophy on the openness (or lack thereof) of the iPhone OS platform, it’s hard to imagine what safeguards Apple might employ that would allow the company to appease users while still controlling the security of its devices.